1926 in sports explained

1926 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

• NFL championship – Frankford Yellow Jackets (14–1–2)
• Rose Bowl (1925 season):
  • The Alabama Crimson Tide won 20–19 over the Washington Huskies to share the college football national championship

Association football

England

• The Football League – Huddersfield Town 57 points, Arsenal 52, Sunderland 48, Bury 47, Sheffield United 46, Aston Villa 44
• FA Cup final – Bolton Wanderers 1–0 Manchester City at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London
• Huddersfield Town is the first team to win the League championship title three times in succession.

Germany

• National Championship – SpVgg Fürth 4–1 Hertha BSC at Frankfurt

Greece

• Formation of the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF)

Athletics

Sweden

• the Second Women's World Games, Gothenburg

Australian rules football

VFL Premiership

• Melbourne wins the 30th VFL Premiership: Melbourne 17.17 (119) d Collingwood 9.8 (62) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Brownlow Medal

• The annual Brownlow Medal is awarded to Ivor Warne-Smith (Melbourne)

Bandy

Sweden

• Championship final – Västerås SK 1-0 IK Sirius

Baseball

World Series

• 2–10 October — St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeats New York Yankees (AL) to win the 1926 World Series by 4 games to 3

Negro leagues

• Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League (NNL) and owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants, suffers a nervous breakdown and has to be confined to an asylum. His protégé Dave Malarcher takes over as manager and leads the team to the NNL pennant.
• The Chicago American Giants (NNL) defeat the Bacharach Giants of Atlantic City, New Jersey (ECL), 5 games to 3, in the 1926 Colored World Series.
• Mule Suttles of the St. Louis Stars hits a Negro leagues record 27 home runs. His .498 batting average and 21 triples are also records.

Basketball

ABL Championship

• Cleveland Rosenblums over Brooklyn Arcadians (3–0)

Boxing

Events

• 23 September — Gene Tunney defeats Jack Dempsey over 10 rounds in Philadelphia to win the World Heavyweight Championship
• Tiger Flowers twice defeats Harry Greb for the World Middleweight Championship but then loses it to former World Welterweight Champion Mickey Walker who holds it until 1931

Lineal world champions^[1]

• World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Dempsey → Gene Tunney
• World Light Heavyweight Championship – Paul Berlenbach → Jack Delaney
• World Middleweight Championship – Harry Greb → Tiger Flowers → Mickey Walker
• World Welterweight Championship – Mickey Walker → Pete Latzo
• World Lightweight Championship – Rocky Kansas → Sammy Mandell
• World Featherweight Championship – Louis "Kid" Kaplan → vacant
• World Bantamweight Championship – Charley Phil Rosenberg
• World Flyweight Championship – vacant

Canadian football

Grey Cup

• 14th Grey Cup – Ottawa Senators 10–7 Toronto Varsity Blues

Cricket

Events

• 31 May — India, New Zealand and West Indies are elected as Full Members of the Imperial Cricket Conference, increasing the number of nations playing Test cricket from three to six.
• England regains The Ashes from Australia by winning the five-match Test series 1–0. After the first four Tests are drawn, England wins the final match at The Oval by 289 runs.

England

• County Championship – Lancashire
• Minor Counties Championship – Durham
• Most runs – Jack Hobbs 2949 @ 77.60 (HS 316*)
• Most wickets – Charlie Parker 213 @ 18.40 (BB 8–73)
• Wisden Cricketers of the Year – George Geary, Harold Larwood, Jack Mercer, Bert Oldfield, Bill Woodfull

Australia

• Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
• Most runs – Arthur Richardson 904 @ 50.22 (HS 227)
• Most wickets – Clarrie Grimmett 59 @ 30.40 (BB 6–76)
• Victoria score 1,107 against New South Wales at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 1926 - still the largest innings total in first-class cricket.^[2]

India

• Bombay Quadrangular – Hindus

New Zealand

• Plunket Shield – Wellington

South Africa

• Currie Cup – not contested

West Indies

• Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad and Tobago

Cycling

Tour de France

• Lucien Buysse (Belgium) wins the 20th Tour de France^[3]

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

• World Women's Champion – Herma Szabo (Austria)
• World Men's Champion – Willi Böckel (Austria)
• World Pairs Champions – Andreé Joly-Brunet and Pierre Brunet (France)

Golf

Events

• Bobby Jones becomes the first golfer to win the British and US Open titles in the same year.

Major tournaments

• British Open – Bobby Jones
• US Open – Bobby Jones
• USPGA Championship – Walter Hagen

Other tournaments

• British Amateur – Jess Sweetser
• US Amateur – George Von Elm

Horse racing

England

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Koko
• Grand National – Jack Horner
  • 19 April – Willie Watkinson, the Grand National-winning jockey, dies three weeks after his victory in a fall at Bogside, Scotland
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Pillion
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Colorado
• The Derby – Coronach^[4]
• The Oaks – Short Story
• St. Leger Stakes – Coronach

Australia

• Melbourne Cup – Spearfelt^[5]

Canada

• King's Plate – Haplite

France

• Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Biribi

Ireland

• Irish Grand National – Amberwave
• Irish Derby Stakes – Embargo

USA

• Kentucky Derby – Bubbling Over
• Preakness Stakes – Display
• Belmont Stakes – Crusader

Ice hockey

Stanley Cup

• 30 March to 6 April — Montreal Maroons defeats Victoria Cougars in the 1926 Stanley Cup Finals by 3 games to 1

Events

• Allan Cup – University of Toronto defeats Port Arthur Bearcats
• Memorial Cup – Calgary Canadians defeats Queen's University
• The professional Western Hockey League folds; most players are sold for $300,000 to the National Hockey League (NHL).
• December — new expansion teams debut in the NHL: Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Cougars and New York Rangers

Lacrosse

Events

• Rosabelle Sinclair establishes the United States' first women's lacrosse team at Bryn Mawr School

Motorsport

See main article: 1926 in motorsport and List of 1926 motorsport champions.

Nordic skiing

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

• 2nd FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1926 are held at Lahti, Finland

Rowing

The Boat Race

• 27 March — Cambridge wins the 78th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league

England

• Championship – Wigan
• Challenge Cup final – Swinton 9–3 Oldham at Athletic Grounds, Rochdale
• Lancashire League Championship – Wigan
• Yorkshire League Championship – Hull Kingston Rovers
• Lancashire County Cup – Swinton 15–11 Wigan
• Yorkshire County Cup – Dewsbury 2–0 Huddersfield

Australia

• NSW Premiership – South Sydney 11–5 University (grand final)

Rugby union

Five Nations Championship

• 39th Five Nations Championship series is shared by Ireland and Scotland

Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships

• Men's Allround Champion @ Trondheim, Norway – Ivar Ballangrud (Norway)
• Overall Ladies World Champion @ Saint John, New Brunswick – Lela Brooks (Canada)
• World Outdoor Champion – Charles Gorman (Canada)
• International Outdoor Champion in pack style – John Farrell (United States)^[6]

Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – John Hawkes (Australia) defeats James Willard (Australia) 6–1 6–3 6–1
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Daphne Akhurst Cozens (Australia) defeats Esna Boyd Robertson (Australia) 6–1 6–3

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Jean Borotra (France) defeats Howard Kinsey (USA) 8–6 6–1 6–3
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Kitty McKane Godfree (Great Britain) defeats Lilí de Álvarez (Spain) 6–2 4–6 6–3

France

• French Men's Singles Championship – Henri Cochet (France) defeats René Lacoste (France) 6–2 6–4 6–3
• French Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen (France) defeats Mary Browne (USA) 6–1 6–0

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – René Lacoste (France) defeats Jean Borotra (France) 6–4 6–0 6–4
• American Women's Singles Championship – Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (Norway) defeats Elizabeth Ryan (USA) 4–6 6–4 9–7

Davis Cup

• 1926 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – 4–1 at Germantown Cricket Club (grass) Philadelphia, United States

Notes and References

1. http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/pastchp.htm Cyber Boxing Zone
2. Web site: 19 January 2015 . Arunabha . Sengupta . When Australian legend Bill Ponsford scored a triple; Victoria amassed 1,107 against New South Wales . cricketcountry.com.
3. Web site: Cycling-Tour de France list of winners . Eurosport UK . 18 February 2021 . en . 26 August 2020.
4. Web site: Epsom Derby History, Winners, & Facts Britannica . www.britannica.com . 2 January 2022 . en.
5. Web site: SPEARFELT WINS MELBOURNE CUP. . Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) . 19 February 2021 . 25 . 3 November 1926.
6. https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fa/john-oneil-farrell-1.html John O'Neil Farrell